New Bumblebee movie is Transformers, chock full of sweet classics
The Transformers franchise continues with the character spinoff Bumblebee set to release December 21. This marks the first departure from the Transformers umbrella proper, and it also marks a fresh take on the Transformers universe. Last year’s Transformers: The Last Knight was the final movie with director Michael Bay’s involvement with the series.
The star of the show is Bumblebee, an autobot that goes into hiding in Southern California only to be found in 1987 by Charlie (played by Hailee Steinfeld). Charlie just turned 18 years old and is in search of her first car—a faded yellow VW Beetle. She drives the old Bug home only to discover there’s a lot more going on underneath than an oil leak or two. While we don’t know all the plotline yet, the latest trailer is full of the familiar explosions and action sequences that are staples of this franchise.
We do get a preview of Bumblebee shedding his infamous Chevrolet Camaro shell and sharing screen time with a healthy dose of other classics. From the trailer, he is in good company. The opening scene of the trailer features a cream Ford pickup, 1967 Pontiac Bonneville, 1986 Nissan 200SX, and finally a 1973 Dodge Duster in a parking lot as Charlie rides down the Santa Cruz Wharf on a moped, searching for her first car.
The yellow Super Beetle starts when she turns the key and drives right into her garage at home, taking up residence next to a first-generation Corvette. When Charlie rolls under the Beetle to inspect it, Bumblebee reveals himself as the towering mechanized interstellar warrior he really is. It marks the start of an adventure for Charlie. One that crosses paths with government agencies, led by notorious (and brief) Ford GT owner John Cena, other high-power autobots, and enough battle royale between the three to fill almost two hours of screen time.
How it shakes down we will have to wait and see. With the late-1980s setting though, the film is likely to be filled with a bunch of rad cars. We will be tuning in upon the December 21 premier, especially for the cars. But also the explosions and future robots.
